The Perfect Gift
by Alpha14
Summary: Sanada needs help in finding a birthday gift for Yukimura. Someone agrees to help him; someone from Seigaku, that is. Will he find that perfect gift? We'll see. Alpha Pair. Multi-chaptered birthday fic for Yukimura.  7/14/11  Edited.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis. Takeshi Konomi-sensei does.**

**[7/14/11] Edited.**

* * *

Wednesday, March 3 - Two days before Yukimura's birthday

It was a sunny afternoon in the Kanagawa District. The blue sky was clear, the presence of fluffy, white clouds hid the bright sun. Most of students from Rikkai Junior High School were already in their respective homes resting, relaxing, and doing the piles of homework that their strict teachers keep on giving them. Others were around town, gimmicking with their friends. Sanada Genichirou was one of those students who were going around the town. He had been allowed to do whatever he wanted because they didn't have tennis practice today. He was all by himself, though. He had spent several frustrating hours on trying to find a nice gift that his best friend and captain, _Yukimura Seiichi_, would like.

_'What am I supposed to give him?'_ Sanada had thought, almost panicking, but since he was Sanada, he didn't. He had already run out of gift ideas. Last year, Sanada had given Yukimura a nice set of art materials. The year before that, Sanada had given Yukimura several pieces of calligraphy that he wrote himself using his own talent for calligraphy. Yukimura liked both of those gifts, because he liked painting and art. He even framed the letter and hung it on his bedroom's wall. Sanada remembered himself blushing at his captain's actions. Sanada is a man of few words, like a certain brick wall-captain from Seigaku, and Yukimura appreciated the fact that Sanada made him a letter that doesn't only consist of one sentence and also had feelings in it. Sanada knew that he had been blushing redder than a tomato when Yukimura smiled brightly at him after telling him that, not that anyone saw it because he hid his face under his cap and had his head bowed down, but he knew that Yukimura could easily guess what happened because of his actions.

Now, Sanada just wanted to see that smile back on Yukimura's face. _A true and sincere smile._ If he made Yukimura smile because of his previous gift, then he would make sure to get another gift that would make Yukimura smile like that again. But Sanada's problem was: The other gift ideas that he had thought of were already taken.

Sanada asked the regulars what they would give Yukimura on his birthday. Some of them told Sanada what they would give instantly, knowing that Sanada wouldn't dare tell Yukimura their gifts. Or get an identical gift, for that matter. Some were quite hesitant in telling, but told Sanada after a few minutes of thinking. Rikkai's baby, however, had a different way of his own. He made Sanada _pinky swear_ not to tell Yukimura what his gift would be. Kirihara knew that real men wouldn't break pinky swears.

Apparently, Yanagi gives Yukimura his favorite grip tape every year, accompanied by another tennis-related gift. There was no doubt that it was what Yanagi would give Yukimura again this year.

Marui and Jackal would combine their money to buy Yukimura a special cake. There were some special times when they gave Yukimura cakes which they baked themselves, like when they won the Nationals in their second year.

Kirihara would give Yukimura something hand-made, but still related to tennis. "So it would be special.", Kirihara said when Sanada asked him why he chose to give Yukimura a hand-made gift.

All that Niou and Yagyuu said was that their gift is a 'surprise'. How shocking... _not._ It was to be expected from the Trickster and his partner. Niou and Yagyuu's gift was always a surprise, much to Yukimura's discomfort, as the blue-haired captain of Rikkai never did like surprises.

And, according to Yanagi, Yukimura gets a new sweatband and wristband on his birthday every year from his younger sister, Yukimura's parents always gives Yukimura a brand new racket, and then the whole family would go out to eat dinner in Yukimura's favorite restaurant to celebrate Yukimura's birthday. Yukimura would also sometimes get gifts from the other tennis teams, but Yanagi didn't specify what kind of gifts they were.

Sanada was stumped. He needed help on finding the right gift that would be rewarded with that stunning bright smile. Normally, he would have called Yanagi to ask for some help, but since the data master was currently sick in bed because of a fever and a cold with a certain Second Year Ace to keep him company, he decided against it. Sanada had decided to call Yagyuu instead, but when he had called Yagyuu and told him about his problem, Yagyuu apologized and told him politely that he was quite busy that week, and couldn't help.

Because Sanada knew that Jackal was busy babysitting his neighbors' kids, that Marui would just give him a name of a bakery that sells delicious cakes then take off, that Kirihara would refuse to leave his sick "Yanagi-senpai's" side, and that Niou, being Niou, was reason enough not to call him, Sanada had called a certain Seigaku regular to ask for help in finding a gift, and said regular had agreed to help Sanada in his problem.

And that was why Sanada was currently boarding a train headed for Tokyo, ready to step inside an enemy territory just to buy a gift for his best friend.

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**A/N: HAPPY BIRTHDAY YUKIMURA SEIICHI ! This is my first story. This is one is just a prologue to the story, but hey, at least I was able to post the start of my very first story on Yukimura's birthday ^^. Coincidentally, Yukimura's new mini birthday album is also named "Prologue", from what I heard. Please review! **


	2. Revelation

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis. If I did, Rikkai would have won at the Regionals and the Nationals.**

**[7/14/11] Edited.**

* * *

Sanada walked through the gates of Seishun Gakuen with his usual intimidating aura radiating off superiority, still wearing his school uniform. He had forgotten to change his clothes due to his deep thinking a few hours ago. Most of the male students who didn't recognize him just ignored him, while the students who did recognize him stared on with eyes the size of tennis balls. The girls did what they usually did: squeal, take pictures, and do more squealing. Lines like "He's so handsome!", "He's totally my type!", and "Do you think he's taken already?" could be heard from all around him.

Sanada found the tennis club of Seigaku after a few minutes of autograph-signing and running away from his newly-formed fan club. Kami-sama, he already had to deal with an ever-growing horde of hormone-crazed fan-girls at Rikkai, and he surely didn't need nor want more of them to deal with.

The vice-captain of Rikkai's tennis club just ignored the very audible whispering that surrounded him while he searched for the Seigaku regulars. He stood straight on one place where he can see the whole tennis courts with his arms crossed. His eyes wandered around the tennis courts, straining to find a certain brunette.

'_Let's see...freshmen,'_ Sanada looked at the several first-years picking up the dirtied tennis balls that had fallen on the cold hard ground during club practice. His eyes continued to wander until it rested on a group of blue uniforms. _'Juniors,' _The second-years were practicing their swings, some of whom were even using the wrong grip. He rolled his eyes under his cap. He then resumed his search for the regulars, that is until he heard footsteps behind himself._ 'And here comes the regulars.' _Sanada thought, turning around to see Seigaku's captain walking towards him, the rest of the team following close by.

"Sanada," greeted the bespectacled buchou of Seigaku.

"Tezuka." Sanada looked at the captain with acknowledgement.

"Practice is almost over. I will be announcing it in a few minutes." Tezuka stated, clearly knowing why he is there.

"Aa."

The rest of the Seigaku regulars stared on with big wide eyes in confusion, _('Tennis ball eyes again?' Sanada thought)_ wondering what the 'Emperor' of Rikkai was doing in their school. To spy on them, perhaps? No, the Nationals are already over. Maybe he was going to challenge Tezuka again for a match. He could also be asking for a practice match for Seigaku and Rikkai. Only two people knew why Sanada is in Seigaku. One of whom made eye contact with the stern fukubuchou. Sanada nodded slightly towards the brunette, which went unnoticed by most of the team due to being deeply immersed in their thoughts.

Tezuka watched the small exchange in silence.

* * *

**-X-**

"Eiji-senpai! Why do you think Sanada here in Seigaku?" whispered Momoshiro.

"How should I know? Ask Inui, not me!" Kikumaru quickly hid behind Oishi. "Oishi, Sanada looks scary... Do you think he's here for a tennis match?"

"Eiji, stop hiding. It's disrespectful to Sanada-san, you know." Oishi scolded the teen lightly.

"Sorry..." Kikumaru apologized sulkily, being scolded by his doubles partner for simply getting scared.

Momoshiro ignored his sulking senpai. And they said that he and Kaidoh acted childish. Pshhh. He then turned towards the data man. "Inui-senpai! Why—"

"I also don't know, Momoshiro. There's only 12% chance that he's here to have a match, since he'd already beaten Tezuka." Inui stated bluntly, most likely having eavesdropped in the short conversation of Kikumaru and Momoshiro a little while ago.

A rather loud cough was heard, and all eyes turned towards Tezuka, whose slightly twitching eyebrow didn't go unnoticed by Sanada, Fuji, Oishi, and Inui.

Sanada smirked inwardly, looking a bit smug under his black cap.

"Ne, Tezuka, aren't you going to announce that practice is over yet?" Fuji tried changing the subject in an attempt of saving his best friend from the short moment of embarrassment. It's not that he didn't like it. Actually, he enjoyed it _very_ much. He just really wanted to go already.

Tezuka grunted, then walked off towards the non-regulars in practice. He announced that practice is over.

Sanada looked towards a certain brunette. Just as he was about to ask a question He was about to open his mouth to say something when he suddenly received a reply.

"Just let me take a shower for a few minutes. I promise that I won't take too long." The brunette threw him a small smile.

Sanada nodded, then took a seat near the club room.

* * *

**-X-**

**~Inside the club room~**

"Do you know why Sanada is here?" Kikumaru asked the brunette.

He shrugged.

"So, is that a yes or a no?"

He just laughed. He then disappeared in the shower room.

"Forget it, Eiji-senpai. You know that whenever he chooses to keep a secret, he really keeps it a secret." Momoshiro said.

"That might be one of the most intelligent things that you have ever said, Momoshiri." muttered Kaidoh.

"Oi! Did you say something, Mamushi?" Momoshiro grabbed Kaidoh by the collar.

"Don't you grab me like that, Momoshiri!" Kaidoh did the same.

"Cut it out, you two. You don't want Tezuka to assign you laps, do you?" Oishi said.

"Or I could just let you taste my new Super Deluxe Inui Juice Drink version 5.6." Inui added, appearing behind Oishi out of nowhere. Oishi jumped up, surprise evident on his face.

"Don't do that, Inui! One day, you just might give someone a heart attack. What if you give one of us a heart attack? Or all of us! Or maybe even Ryuzaki-sensei! That would be..." Inui stopped listening, knowing that the 'mother hen' will ramble on and on for ten minutes or so.

When the over-worrying vice-captain finished his rant, which was short, but seemed to be hours long, Inui tried to reassure him that nothing terrible is going to happen. "Don't worry, Oishi. All of us are too young and healthy to have a heart attack."

"But what about Ryuzaki-sensei?"

"Ahh..." I wish I didn't leave my recorder in my locker today, Inui thought, thinking about what would happen if he recorded everything that Oishi said and _"accidentally"_ leave the recorder on Ryuzaki-sensei's table.

Just then, the door to the showers opened, revealing a towel-clad brunette.

"So, what's going on in here?" The brunette asked, putting his clothes on at the same time. Inui silently thanked him for the interruption and fled.

Kikumaru tackled him. "Before you entered the showers, was your answer a 'yes' or a 'no'?"

He tugged off the bouncy redhead and shrugged, again.

Momoshiro threw Kikumaru an 'I-told-you-so' look.

"Ehhh, are you even going to tell me at all?" Kikumaru half-asked, half-complained. It was more of a complain.

"Saa~ maybe I will, maybe I won't."

_Know who he is now?_

Kikumaru mustered up the cutest look he could make. Teary big eyes and a cute puppy pout. Perfect.

He laughed. "Eiji, you know that I don't get affected by that."

Okay... maybe not so perfect.

Kikumaru immediately dropped it. "I know, nya. But it was worth a try."

He smiled, or maybe he smirked, then left the club room.

* * *

**-X-**

**~Outside the club room~**

"I'm sorry. Did I take too long?" He asked Sanada.

"No," A short quick reply.

"Shall we go then, Sanada-san?"

"Hai, Fuji. Let's go."

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**Ok. The Seigaku regular is finally revealed. ... I know. This chapter totally sucks. Anyway, please review. Comment, flame, pairing suggestion, anything. As long as you review. :)**


	3. Gifthunting and Matchmaking

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis in anyway. If I did, Rikkai Dai would be the main team.**

**A/N: I am absolutely sorry for taking so much time! I'll skip the excuses now. To make up for it, here's a longer chapter. This is still lame, but not at least this is not as lame as the other chapter. Please read and review.**

**Warnings: Mentions of Alpha Pair and Perfect Pair. Telepathic Pair (Oshitari/Atobe) friendship. Several attempts at including Hyoutei. Poor attempt at humor.**

**[7/14/11] Edited.**

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The two tennis players were walking side by side as they passed through the crowds of bustling people. _'This trip is gonna be fun~'_ Fuji thought happily. He was very excited because he had something in store for Sanada. He had planned a lot of fun (evil) schemes at home already. Most of them were for Tezuka, though. Meanwhile, Sanada was silently fuming as he was getting repeatedly bumped by random people. He wouldn't have minded it if they said sorry, but those people didn't even try stopping! Such disrespect! 'Tarundoru!' Sanada thought, aggravated. A frown was glued on his face and his eyebrows were furrowed deeply. Just one more. One more, and he was going to Tarundoru!Slap™ someone already.

_'It sure is windy today.'_ Fuji thought as he unconsciously shivered. _'Where should we go first?'_ He took a glance at the teen beside him, and saw that Sanada was encased deeply in his thoughts. _'He looks anxious to buy a gift. I should ask him what the birthday boy likes... Oh, that's weird. He looks like he's going to burst at someone. He looks funny with those furrowed brows. It's like a mono brow. Too bad, I might be the one that he would burst at if I took out my camera now. I don't feel like experiencing his famous backhand just yet. Hmm~ I feel like I'm that Ibu Shinji from Fudomine, having a conversation with myself. But at least I'm not talking aloud, right?'_ Fuji chuckled to himself. Sanada didn't bother looking, knowing that Fuji is naturally weird like that. He's had some experience with Yukimura already.

"So, Sanada-san, do you know what Yukimura-san likes?" Fuji asked Sanada. The latter looked at him and opened his own mouth to say something, but was cut off almost immediately by the former. "Aside from tennis, that is." Fuji added as an afterthought, knowing exactly what the other teen was about to say.

Sanada closed his mouth and thought for a moment. "Gardening. Seiichi likes gardening." He continued walking, not noticing that the smaller teen stopped until he felt an intense gaze melting the backside of his head. He quickly stopped in his tracks and turned around, finding a Fuji smiling weirdly at him. And it wasn't just the normal kind of weird smile that Fuji makes. It was the "I've got blackmail~" kind of weird smile. He also caught sight of a pair of cerulean blue eyes before they vanished behind closed eyelids.

_'Is that supposed to be normal...?'_ Sanada asked himself. _'Why is he looking at me like that?'_ He backtracked to what he said a while ago. His eyes widened at his little slip up. 'Oh...' He felt some heat rise up in his cheeks and tugged down his black cap uncomfortably. He composed himself and asked, "Fuji-san, are you coming?".

Fuji smiled manically at him one last time and replied with, "Hai~". The smaller teen jogged up to his side and they began to walk normally again.

"Ne, Sanada-san. How about giving Yukimura-san a plant to care for? I know a nice garden shop near here. I go there every Sunday. Maybe you would like to take a look and see if you can find something there?" Fuji chirped happily.

"Aa."

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**-X-**

Oshitari glanced outside through the heavily tinted windows of the extravagant, black limousine Atobe pulled him earlier into as they finished the afternoon practices. Apparantly, Atobe wanted someone to assist him in buying some items as Kabaji was given a day off.

_-Flashback to a few minutes ago-_

Oshitari was reading another romance book silently on a bench when someone rudely snatched away his book and snapped it shut.

"Oi, Oshitari. Stop reading that piece of filth. Ore-sama wants you to assist ore-sama in purchasing some items at the store." Atobe practically ordered him.

"It's not filth, Atobe. It's just my unique choice of entertainment. And by 'assist', you mean carry all of your shopping bags while you shop `til you drop like a girl does?" Oshitari knows all of this by experience. It's not like it's not happened before that Kabaji is not present. Oh, the mountain-load of things that Atobe can buy in a day. _'He never even uses most of them!'_ Oshitari thought.

"For your information, Oshitari, Ore-sama does not 'shop `til you drop' like a girl. Ore-sama merely purchases items that ore-sama deems elegant for ore-sama's exquisite taste." Atobe said defiantly

"And for YOUR information, Atobe. 'Purchasing items' and 'shopping' are the same." Oshitari fired.

"Ahn, but ore-sama shall call it as ore-sama likes. And if ore-sama wants to call it 'purchasing', then so be it." Atobe huffed.

Oshitari rolled his eyes at his captain's answer.

"Enough about that. Let's go, now." stated Atobe, clearly wanting to end their bickering session. He swiftly took hold of Oshitari's wrist, tossed the book away, and hurried to his limousine, not letting Oshitari escape his strong grasp.

_-End of flashback-_

"He could've at least let me bring my book." Oshitari grumbled, all the while looking out the window. Suddenly, something interesting caught his eye. Or, rather, someone. 'Who would've thought? Rikkaidai's Emperor and Seigaku's Tensai.' He smirked. He tapped Atobe, who was seated in front of him, lightly on the shoulder. "Oi, Atobe. Take a look at this." Atobe raised a brow elegantly and Oshitari pointed towards the window.

Atobe first saw the honey-brown hair, and later saw a tall teen walking beside him. His eyes widened in recognition. "Fuji... and Sanada? What are those two doing together?"

"Who knows? Maybe they're on a date." Oshitari offered slyly.

"Don't be an idiot, Oshitari. We all know that Fuji is Tezuka's property, and Sanada and Yukimura are practically as good as married." Atobe stated as if it was common knowledge for everyone.

* * *

**-X-**

After several minutes of walking...

"We're here, Sanada-san." Fuji said and pushed the glass door of the garden shop open. Sanada followed, and his sight was filled with the colour green.

Fuji looked back at his companion, and resisted the urge to burst out laughing. He controlled himself, letting out only a smile, walked towards Sanada, and peeled off the brochure made out of green-coloured paper that stuck to the teen's face. Looks like the wind was strong enough to blow away paper. And slap paper onto someone's face. How nice.

_'Sanada is clearly annoyed now.'_ Fuji thought amusedly. He watched the taller boy hide a scowl under his black cap.

"Over there, Sanada-san," Fuji pointed towards a giant aisle full of gardening stuff that Sanada doesn't know about, "Is where you can find many different kinds of gardening tools. They are all useful. Maybe you can find something there. But you can do that later. Let's take a look here first." Fuji said as he walked towards a part of the shop full of colourful plants. Sanada followed suit.

The vice-captain looked at his surroundings. There were plants everywhere. The colours were blinding him, but all of it was still viewed as strikingly beautiful. '_Not as much as Seiichi, though.'_ Sanada mused for a moment, and then blinked. He just called his captain beautiful. Well, Yukimura really is beautiful, if you were to think about it. Not that anyone dared to say it out loud to the captain. Nobody would like to experience hell on earth, thank you very much. Nor would they like to experience his wrath. He would use his FuuRinKaInZanRai on any person who dared to. Plus, the bitch slap and a hundred laps. _'Looks like someone's getting protective,'_ a little voice in the back of his head coaxed. Sanada gave the little voice a "TARUNDORU!" and slapped it dead, mentally, of course. He shrugged off the thought, and passed off his protectiveness for his best friend as a friendly gesture.

As Sanada browsed the potted plants, he noticed there were small signs attached to the pot. Information about the flower is written, like the name of the flower and the meaning of the flower. He looked at the first plant; it was a small tree with little dark pink flowers blossoming on the branches. It was on a medium-sized, circular, white pot. The sign that was attached to the pot read, "Azalea bonsai. Meaning of Azalea: patient/modest".

The second plant was also a bonsai, Sanada observed. It was a miniature cherry blossom tree on a rectangular, white pot. The sign said, "Cherry Blossom bonsai. Meaning of Cherry Blossom: kind".

The third plant, however, wasn't a bonsai anymore. It was a yellow flower that looked like it was two flowers combined. _'A daffodil,'_ Sanada read silently. _'It means respect, huh?'_

Sanada turned his head a little to look at the next plant, only to find out that two next plants were missing. The plant that continued was a hibiscus flower. He already knew what it was because of Yukimura. When he was visiting Yukimura at his house, he found Yukimura in the gardens. The blue-haired boy was watering a plant. Yukimura told him that it was a Hibiscus plant. Apparently, it was his favorite plant in the garden. _'It means: gentle.'_ Sanada recalled Yukimura telling him. "There's no use in giving Yukimura a plant that he already has." Sanada muttered softly.

He was about to look at the other plants when he sensed someone walking towards him. He glanced behind him and found Fuji holding a small, circular pot containing three different kinds of flowers. There were small white flowers and small blue flowers alternating near the rim of the pot, and a single, red rose was placed in the middle.

"Here, Sanada-san. I'm absolutely sure that Yukimura-san would like this." Fuji said innocently.

Sanada eyed the flowers for a while, then told Fuji that he'll take it. He took the pot with the flowers and headed to the counter to pay for it, missing the small twinkle that appeared in Fuji's eyes.

* * *

**-X-**

_'It sure is a good thing that he didn't ask me what those flowers meant.'_ Fuji smiled happily while Sanada was still at the counter. Those flowers that he arranged himself were forget-me-nots, gardenias, and a rose. The rose obviously means love. The small blue flowers were the forget-me-nots, and meant true love. The white flowers were the gardenias, and meant secret love. He knew that Sanada loves Yukimura. And that the feelings were returned. It was dead obvious anyway. Even an idiot would figure it out. Fuji knows that Yukimura returns the other's feelings because his situation with Tezuka _was_ similar. The only problem is that Sanada is too oblivious of his feelings. Fuji was determined to get the two together. He already decided it once Sanada called him. Besides that, he always wanted to try matchmaking.

Both of them walked out the store, and saw that it was already time for dinner.

"It's getting late already. Would you like to have dinner with me? My treat, of course." Sanada asked Fuji. It was the only thing that he could think of to make up for occupying Fuji's afternoon.

_'I wonder what Tezuka would think of this.'_ Fuji smirked internally. "Sure. I told my parents that I would be going home late anyway."

* * *

**A/N: Improved? Still sucks? Please review! Feel free to point out any mistakes.**


	4. The Restaurant Scene

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Prince of Tennis. I want to own Rikkai Dai very much, though. **

**A/N: Okay, hi! Here's a short restaurant scene with Sanada and Fuji. Please read and review.**

**Warning: Sanada is OOC (I think). Perfect Pair. A bit of Jealous!Yukimura at the end. Oh, and also a lot Fuji making Sanada blush. Sanada and Fuji friendship. Super slight Fuji-randomness. Blink and you'll miss it. Also, this story is not beta-read (I forgot to mention that), so I'm sorry if there are some mistakes from the past chapters and this chapter. Please feel free to point them out.**

**[7/14/11] Edited.**

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**Sanada's POV**

"It's getting late already. Would you like to have dinner with me? My treat, of course." I told Fuji. It just wouldn't feel right for me if I didn't give him anything in return for helping me get a present for Seiichi.

He paused for a few seconds. He seemed to be thinking about something funny. What's so funny about dinner? He then replied, "Sure. I told my parents that I would be going home late anyway."

I felt a little relieved when he accepted my invitation to dinner. Then I could pay back the favour.

"Oh, by the way, I'm paying half of the bill." He added.

Not possible. I just shook my head and motioned for him to follow me. I knew a good place where we could eat a nice dinner, and it was affordable too. He probably knew the restaurant that I'm taking him to because it was quite well-known. Soon enough, he wasn't following me anymore. He was walking beside me. I'm guessing that figured out where we were going.

After a few minutes of walking, we finally arrived at our destination. I opened the door and let him go in first. He shot me an amused look before going inside. Well, what can I do? I already got used to doing that. I always do that for Seiichi.

The restaurant was fairly big and well-lit. It was nearly full already, but there were still a few tables left. The walls were coated with a nice shade of cream, and the tiles were in a tan color, giving the place a cool and warm feeling. The wooden tables were furnished and had a pale red table cloth on top, and the brown chairs had some intricate carving on its legs.

I was forced to leave the plants at the counter first. Then, we were soon seated on a table for two somewhere in the corner of the restaurant. A waiter approached us and gave out menus. After ordering, We were left in a companionable silence. It was cut short, though, because Fuji decided to talk.

"So, Sanada-san. How did you find out about this place?" said Fuji, trying to start a conversation.

"This is Yukimura's favorite restaurant. We always go here whenever we celebrate something." I responded. "Ah, and please drop the honorifics already. I'm not really comfortable being called 'Sanada-san'. It makes me feel like you're talking to my father." Actually, it was Seiichi who told me that being called by the honorific of "-san" made me seem older than how I usually looked. Especially with the black cap. Though I'm trying to make people drop the honorific, I still won't let go of the cap. Seiichi gave it to me as a birthday gift.

"Ehhh? So you're calling him _'Yukimura'_ now? Whatever happened to _'Seiichi'_, Sa-na-da~?" He teased. I just ignored him and pointedly avoided his gaze. Then all of a sudden, he chuckled.

"Sanada, you're blushing." He pointed out, smiling like always.

I tugged my hat down in an attempt to cover my blush. Thank Kami-sama that our food arrived at that moment.

* * *

**-X-**

_After eating..._

"Fuji, how are things going on with Tezuka?" I tried resuming the conversation. I noticed that he froze for a fraction of a second there before composing himself. He almost opened his eyes for a moment. _Almost._

"_We,_" Fuji paused for some kind of dramatic effect. "Are going great, thank you for asking."

I blinked at the obvious emphasis on the word_ 'we'_. I got a little confused. What was he implying? ...I only asked him if Tezuka was okay. I know that Tezuka's shoulder should be completely healed by now, but I just wanted to make sure. Going back to the _'we'_ thing... Is he implying what I think he's implying?

"You and Tezuka are a couple." I said bluntly.

"That, we are." Well, I surely didn't expect him to reply that quickly. No reaction at all. He's just...smiling. But something felt off in here. I think it was a normal smile. Not the Fuji-smile. Hmm, well that's a rare sight to see. Wait, it just changed back to a Fuji-smile. I narrowed my eyes at him, trying to guess what he was up to.

"You know, you and Yukimura-san should be a couple too." He added slyly.

I felt a lot of heat rise up to my face. I do NOT like my best friend that way... do I?

"I was just joking, Sanada." He said with a hint of amusement in his voice. "But admit it, you do like the idea of being in relationship with Yukimura-san, don't you?"

"Uh..." Kami-sama, why does he like to make me blush so much? Tch. Sadistic people. _'It is true, though.' _Damn, that little voice came back to life. I thought I slapped it out of my head for good.

"Saa~ I bet you've tried imagining him in a wedding dress while you're holding him bridal style before. Heck, you've probably even had thoughts about doing nasty 'stuff' to Yukimura-san before. Tsk, tsk, tsk. I never thought that you would be like that, Sanada." He continued teasing me.

My eyes widened. I've never tried imagining him like that, ever! I did have a dream once...but that was only us playing tennis!

_'I think my face is on fire...'_ Sanada Genichirou, tarundoru! Force those thoughts back down at this instant! Thinking about your best friend like that, what would Seiichi think of you?

Fuji laughed at me. Well, at least I tried. Looks like I can't control myself right now. He's tainting my mind! Somehow, I can't help but feel sorry for Tezuka. He surely must have it even worse than me, having Fuji as a... _lover._

His laugh is so musical. It was similar to Seiichi's laugh, yet not. It was lacking something. Something that makes you feel weird. Something... that I only feel whenever Seiichi is truly laughing. I could just imagine him laughing right now. Just the mere sound of it made me want to laugh along. But that, along with the sudden image of Seiichi in wedding dress that flashed within my thoughts... I just couldn't help but laugh along.

* * *

**-X-**

**Third Person POV**

When the two finally finished laughing, Sanada called for the waiter and paid the whole bill, not letting Fuji come near it. But Fuji did try, though. He tried to get the bill, but Sanada held it up too high for him to reach. He even chased Sanada around the table, making the said teen run around and around while trying to get his money from his wallet.

Right after the chase, and finally being able to pay, Sanada claimed back his plants from the counter. They left the restaurant happy and content. They said their good-bye's directly in front of the restaurant entrance, and then walked towards two separate ways.

They never did notice that a certain blue-haired captain was watching them from 5 tables away, fists clenched tightly and eyes blazing with jealousy.

* * *

**A/N: Well, there goes my first attempt at Sanada's POV. The wedding dress was probably the only thing that could be classified as "Fuji-randomness" in here. XD Please review.**


	5. Yukimura and His Family

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis.**

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait! It took me a while, but here it is! I present to you, the fourth chapter!**

**Warning: Jealous!Yukimura... So, yes, he is OOC.**

**[7/14/11] Edited.**

* * *

**Yukimura Seiichi's POV**

"Tadaima." My soft voice echoed within the house.

"Okaeri." An equally soft voice responded from somewhere within the house. It's probably just okaa-san reading a book in the study room.

I trudged up the stairs and went inside my room. Setting my tennis bag on the floor, I took a towel and headed for the bathroom. I stripped off all my clothes and got inside the showers. Twisting the knob for cold water, cool jets of water drenched my hair, trickled down my face and cascaded down my body, washing off all the sweat that I have acquired from hitting tennis balls against a wall for several hours. It helped me relax a bit. Just a bit.

I ran my fingers through my wet, blue locks of hair and sighed. We didn't have any tennis practice today. Neither morning practice nor afternoon practice. The tennis courts and the club room are being renovated. I just settled with training after school in the place where Genichirou, Renji and I usually practice every weekend. Alone. The other two couldn't show up. I know why Renji didn't show up, and it's excusable, but as for Genichirou... well, he just told me that he was busy, and then he left. He didn't bother telling me what he was busy about. He didn't even bother telling me "good bye" before he left.

I frowned (-pouted-). Genichirou always told me little things like that. I wonder what that was all about.

Turning off the shower, I dried myself with my towel, covered up, and then walked towards my room. Just as I took hold of the doorknob, my mother's head suddenly popped out from the hallway. "Seiichi." My mother, Yukimura Masaki, called. I turned to look at her.

"Hurry up and change into some nice clothes. We're going to eat dinner at your favourite restaurant in Tokyo tonight." The unspoken question must have shown on my face, or maybe she could just read me really well, because she explained almost instantly. "Your father is going on a business trip. He's already leaving tomorrow. He won't be able to get back here in time for your birthday, so we're going to celebrate it tonight as a whole family while he's still here."

"Hai," I obediently replied, nodding my head as I did so. I have to admit, I've missed eating at my favourite restaurant. It's been a while since I've eaten there. The last time was when Genichirou, Renji and I celebrated my release from the hospital.

I opened the door to my room, and then did what I was told.

Once I finished, I took a good look of myself at the mirror. Just a plain violet shirt and some pants. Not much, but it looks nice as it is. Quickly, I brushed my soft blue hair, grabbed some socks, and then walked downstairs. Seeing that my family is all prepared, I hurriedly put on my socks and shoes, directed a smile towards my family and flashed a thumbs-up sign.

"I'm finished," I stated, smiling brightly at them.

"Yay! We're going to out to eat~" My sister, Yukimura Mitsuki, said in a sing-song voice, bursting with excitement at the thought of eating our favourite restaurant. You see, my sister and I have the same taste in food. No, wait, let me rephrase that. My_ family_ and I have the same taste in food.

Our parents cast her a fond smile and chuckled. "Well, let's go then."

* * *

**-X-**

Entering the familiar restaurant, we sat down on a table for four and, soon enough, called for a waiter. We ordered the usual. Of course, all of us had the same meal: grilled fish. The only difference in our order was the drinks. Mom and Dad ordered tea, while Mitsuki and I ordered _iced_ tea.

Most of us waited for our food in silence, watching Mitsuki draw with the paper and crayons and that the waiter gave her. I leaned towards her drawing to take a good look. There were a lot of squiggly lines around an imperfect circle, and a long line under it. I think it's a flower. But it could also be a tree with a giant fruit. I blinked. _'Pumpkins don't grow from trees...'_

The next thing that she drew was a long oval with two triangles sticking out from the top and bottom. There was another triangle on one side, and a small curved line inside the oval on the other side. A fish... ?

"That's a nice fish, Mitsuki." I tried to compliment her. She pouted at me.

"It's not a fish, Sei-nii! It's an airplane!" She corrected indignantly.

I looked at it again and blinked. Oh. It does kind of look like an airplane. Kind of.

My father laughed silently at me and my mother hid a smile.

"Ah, you're right. It is an airplane." I said sheepishly, scratching my head.

"It is an airplane! It is! It's an airplane, right Mom?" She asked okaa-san.

"It is an airplane, dear. And a beautiful one," Mother replied reassuringly.

Mitsuki giggled happily, content with okaa-san's answer, and continued drawing. After coloring the drawings, she proceeded to tell a story about a magical pumpkin tree ("I knew it!" - Seiichi) and an airplane that can walk to okaa-san enthusiastically.

While the females of my family were busy, the head of the family started talking to me.

"Seiichi, happy birthday in advance," my father, Yukimura Hiroki, greeted with a small smile.

"Thank you, otou-san."

"I'm really sorry that I can't be with you on your birthday. I hope you understand why I can't," he said apologetically.

"Hai. I understand. It's alright, really," I said truthfully. Even if it isn't my birthday `till two more days, at least I can get to celebrate it with my family.

He nodded, and then the waiter arrived to serve our food.

"Alright, let's get ready to eat, everybody! Itadakimasu!" A chorus of Itadakimasu!'s followed otou-san's call, and we started digging in.

* * *

**-X-**

After eating...

"Whew. I'm full already. I need to go to the comfort room for a while." My father breathed out. Well, that's what he gets for ordering more rice.

"Ahhh, Hiroki. I need to go, too." My mother said.

"Are you two going to be alright?" Mitsuki and I nodded. "Okay. Mitsuki, behave yourself. Seiichi, watch your sister for us, please." I gave out a soft "Hai.", ignoring Mitsuki's protesting, and then they left for the comfort rooms.

Once they were out of sight, I gave a teasing look towards my little sister. "You heard them, Mitsuki. Behave."

She sighed, gave a "Hai~" and a mock salute, and then continued drawing.

Quickly getting bored, I looked around the restaurant to see if there was anything interesting going on. My eyes continued roaming until I found a familiar black cap.

Genichirou... ? And with Seigaku's Fuji Syuusuke, too.

_'It looks like they just finished eating.'_ I watched them with jealousy as Fuji made my Genichirou blush repeatedly. My eye brows furrowed deeply and my hands clenched tightly. I don't remember when I started burning non-existent holes on Fuji, but I know that I was doing it when he made Genichirou laugh. **MY** Genichirou was actually **LAUGHING**.

By the time that Fuji was chasing Genichirou around the table, I was so angry at Fuji that I was tempted to take away all of his senses permanently right then and there.

_'Fuji. Let go of Genichirou. He's _**MINE**_. You have Tezuka all to yourself already, dammit.'_

Yes, I am... homosexual, but that's only because of Genichirou. I've even talked to Renji about it before. And yes, he already knew. We didn't have any problems since he is also homosexual.

I watched them walk out of the restaurant, both of them wearing content smiles. Sanada was carrying something that I couldn't see because Fuji was blocking the view. The way they parted ways in front of the restaurant just added to my rage.

* * *

**-X-**

**Yukimura Mitsuki's POV**

After a few more drawings, I felt something strange coming from onii-chan. I saw that he was turning more and more pink as he looked at someone. Looking at the people that onii-chan is looking at, I found his best friend and another handsome person that I didn't know.

_'Huh? Isn't that `Rou-nii? I wonder who he's with.'_ I turned to ask onii-chan, but...

_'Onii-chan looks angry... He looks like he wants to stab `Rou-nii's friend in the eye with a fork.'_ Worriedly, I tugged at the sleeve of his shirt and said, "Don't worry, Sei-nii. Just because `Rou-nii has another friend doesn't mean you're not his friend anymore."

He faced me, looking surprised for a moment with big eyes before returning to normal. He smiled at me with a gentle gaze and chuckled.

"Thanks," he whispered while ruffling my hair.

I blinked, and then smiled back, happy that onii-chan's not too upset anymore.

* * *

**A/N: Writing that last part made me feel fluffy... It feels weird, but it's nice. :) Thank you for reading! Please leave a review!**

**I was actually planning to post this on Shiraishi's birthday... but I think I've made you wait too long. Let me just say this... "Happy birthday in advance, Shiraishi Kuranosuke!" :))**

**By the way... I think the fifth and the sixth chapter will take longer... So, I'll say the "I'm sorry," right now. Oh, but don't worry. It will come along.**

* * *

**Tadaima = what Japanese people say when they enter their own houses (usually done by families)**

**Okaeri = what Japanese people inside the house say to the person enter their houses (usually done by families)**

**Okaa-san = mother**

**Otou-san = father**

**Itadakimasu = something Japanese people say before eating**

**Onii-chan = big brother**

**`Rou-nii = this what Mitsuki calls Sanada**

* * *

**The Yukimura Family (excluding Seiichi's grandmother).**

**Father: Yukimura Hiroki**

**Mother: Yukimura Masaki**

**Little sister's Name: Yukimura Mitsuki **

**And of course...**

**Yukimura Seiichi~!**

**A little bonus for the readers:**

**There's a reason why I chose those names for Yukimura's father and mother. Can you guess what it is?**


	6. A Day Of School

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis, much to my disappointment.**

**A/N: Happy Mother's Day to everyone's mothers! And then... Happy birthday to cayleyjanssen! Heheh, I don't even know if you read this fic, but I do hope that you read this short message. **

**Longer author's note in the bottom!**

**Warnings: Not beta-read, not really shounen-ai yet, but you can take it as shounen-ai if you want to.**

**[7/14/11] Edited.**

* * *

Thursday, March 4 - A day before Yukimura's birthday

Yukimura Seiichi had woken up to the loud ringing sound of his alarm clock. Yawning, he sat up drowsily and dragged himself up to get a bath towel. He forced his eyes to stay open while he headed towards the bathroom. Upon entering, he scrutinized his morning face in the mirror. There were barely noticeable bags under his eyes. Well, he_ did _think about Sanada all night, wondering what he could have doing with that bas―I mean, Fuji... And even when Yukimura finally slept, Sanada was there in his dream. It would have been the best dream that he'd ever had, if only that _Fuji_ didn't show up beside Sanada in the middle of the dream, turning it into something akin to a nightmare.

Yukimura did his normal morning routine: take a bath, dress for school (including the weights), eat breakfast, brush his teeth, and walk to school, stopping near the gates to meet up with the two other Demons of Rikkaidai. He greeted Yanagi Renji, who had finished recovering from his flu, making him well enough to return to school, gave Sanada a soft "Hi," and then started a conversation with Yanagi while they walked towards their classrooms. Let's just say that the Emperor was thoroughly ignored the whole morning.

* * *

**-X-**

**~Time skip to lunch break~**

_In the cafeteria..._

"Niou-senpai, give me back my bento!"

"Let me think about it... nah."

"Ehhhh! Give it back! Give it back, now!" wailed Kirihara Akaya, his hands flailing high up in the air.

"Sure! I'll just finish it first, and then you can have it. Puri~" Smirk. Niou Masaharu quickly made a beeline towards Yagyuu.

"Hey, Yeah~gyu! Want some lunch?" Niou grinned lazily.

Yagyuu paused, considering the offer, "... May I see it?"

Niou's grin widened. Kirihara's horrified shouts of "Yagyuu-senpai, how could you?" were left unheard.

The bespectacled gentleman took the bento box in his hands and peeked inside. Once he closed it, he suddenly put a hand on Niou's mouth, and used his other hand to give the bento back to little devil. "Here you go, Kirihara-kun."

The second year ace's eyes widened in delight. "Thank you, Yagyuu-senpai!" He ran towards the table where all the other regulars were and sat down between his Yanagi-senpai and Yukimura-buchou. He was always seated between them. To the right of Yukimura was always Sanada, In front of them were always Marui, Jackal, Niou, and Yagyuu. The latter two were still missing from the group.

The resident trickster, annoyed, glared at the megane. "Why'd you do that, Yagyuu?"

Yagyuu replied in a very low voice, "I'm sorry for ruining your fun, Niou-kun, but Yanagi-kun was glaring at me. Now let's hurry to the table. Everyone's waiting for us."

Once they settled down on the table, everyone opened their respective bentos and picked up their chopsticks. Yukimura's voice, which unsurprisingly cut through all the noise of the cafeteria, was heard by all the regulars clearly, saying "Itadakimasu!". Everyone of them followed the shout and started eating.

One of the things that always happen in Rikkai's lunchtime is a conversation. Today, it was Kirihara who started it.

"Buchou! Guess what? I got an A on my English Test!" Yes, you read that right. _English._

"Really?" Yukimura asked pleasantly.

"Yeah!" Kirihara pulled out an English test paper out of thin air. Sure enough, it had his name on it and a circled big letter A in red ink on the upper right corner. "And it's all thanks to Yanagi-senpai for tutoring me!"

"Ahhh," _If that's the case,_ Yukimura thought, _then Akaya recieving an A would be unquestionable. It wouldn't be surprising if he even got an A+. Renji's tutoring is absolutely outstanding._ "Don't you think you should thank him?"

"I will thank him right now!" Kirihara stood up and thanked Yanagi, along with a big bow. For a second there, Yanagi wore a stupid big grin. He must've felt the knowing grins directed at him because he immediately dropped it.

Everyone turned their attentions back to their lunches. Kirihara peeked at Marui's food to see what sweet he brought again. Seeing that it was his favorite cake, his eyes went glassy. He put up his super cutest look that could get even Sanada to go a little soft on him. '_Operation: Get That Cake! is a go!'_

"Ne, Marui-senpai. May I have some of your cake? Please?" Kirihara asked, his tone of voice filled with obviously fake sweetness.

"What? No way, Bakaya!" Marui quickly shut up when he saw the Three Demons glaring at him. That is _very_ scary. Sanada glaring katakanas and shinais, Yanagi glaring with _opened_ eyes, and Yukimura glaring... Well, _usually_ Yukimura glaring can make the person being glared at faint, and everyone in the vicinity to kneel on the ground and beg for mercy repeatedly.

The redhead muttered something like "unfair" and "stupid favoritism" before pushing his slice of cake towards Kirihara, who recieved the cake with glee.

Sanada turned back to his bento. There was grilled fish in it. "Yukimura, would you like some―"

"No, thank you," Rejected. Niou and Marui inaudibly snickered.

Yukimura closed his bento and gracefully stood up, "Everyone, I'll go on ahead of you guys. Is that alright?" He asked, but everyone knew not to disagree with him.

Sanada stood up in a flash. "Would you like me to―"

"No, thank you, Sanada." Rejected. Again. Yukimura abruptly cut Sanada off, much to everyone's confusion. They watched the crowds in the cafeteria part to make way as their captain walked towards the exit. No, that wasn't the confusing part. What truly puzzled them is that Yukimura hadn't finished his lunch yet.

"What got `Mura so upset?" Marui asked. Everyone stared at Yanagi for an answer.

"I apologize for this, but even I don't know the answer to that question," Yanagi confessed.

_However,_ Yanagi thought, _I do have a clue._ He looked at their vice-captain through closed eyes.

"Okay guys, listen up! Here's mine and Yagyuu's―"

"Yagyuu and I's." The data master corrected. Don't blame him; he just couldn't resist doing so.

"Whatever, Yanagi. Anyway, here's our plan for tomorrow." Everyone leaned in to hear the surprise that their doubles one came up with. After a moment, they nodded to themselves, satisfied of their assigned tasks for tomorrow.

* * *

**-X-**

**~Time skip to free period~**

At the school's flower bed...

"May I?"

Yukimura opened his eyes and brought his hand up to shield them from the sun. "Renji?"

The mentioned brunette repeated his question.

"Oh. Here." Yukimura patted a spot near him, gesturing Yanagi to lie down beside him.

The two laid in the grass, closed eyes and all, but one of them was far from relaxing.

"Why?" There goes the silence. The rest of the question wasn't voiced out, but it was heard anyway.

_Why are you avoiding him?_

Yukimura only had two options: One, was to tell Yanagi what he saw yesterday, and two, was to play dumb. He chose option number one. Choosing option two would only result in a longer conversation, and he would still end up spilling everything to the _too_ observant boy. He sighed.

"I saw him at my favorite restaurant in Tokyo yesterday." A pause.

"With Seigaku's Fuji." Another pause.

"They looked like they were having fun." Yukimura said, the jealousy in his voice was evident.

"Why is that?"

"That boy made him talk, blush, and laugh in one sitting."

"I see. Have you any idea of why Genichirou was with Fuji?"

"No." Yanagi watched Yukimura carefully. Doing the math... Nah, he didn't have to. It was all too obvious anyway.

"You didn't ask him." It was a statement, not a question.

"Renji, the percentage?"

"Zero. I am absolutely sure that Genichirou has no romantic feelings towards Fuji. I /know/ that you're the only one he likes that way; he's just too oblivious to realize it, even more that you like him."

Yukimura covered his face with his hands and groaned. Why did he have to fall for someone who is so observant of everything _except_ for his own feelings? He looked at Yanagi with a pair of confused cerulean blue eyes.

_Help me?_

"... I'll talk to him later."

Unbeknownst to the troubled captain, mysterious teal eyes watched from a nearby tree.

* * *

**-X-**

The Trickster of the Court walked lazily to Class 3-B, searching for the volley specialist. He caught sight of the blindingly red hair and locked on his target.

"Yo, fatty!"

"Hey! For the last time, I am not fat! Anyway, what is it this time, Niou?"

"I heard the data man confront the Child of God and found out why buchou's becoming an alien. It's because of the green-eyed monster inside of him."

"He's jealous? Over what?"

"The capped rock was spotted with a prodigal genius two days before tomorrow."

"Huh? I didn't hang out with Sanada yesterday."

"As if. I was talking about an _actual_ genius. A rival genius that seems to be related to the sentence-finishing data freak."

"Oi, I'm also a genius, remember that. And... Sanada was hanging out with Fuji Syuusuke of Seigaku?" Marui whispered the last part to Niou.

"Not only. That honey-haired girly boy was able to make the rock turn into a person while they were eating in the food place that captain is very fond of."

"Ooh. I can't believe that Fuji was able to make Sanada show his emotions while eating in `Mura-buchou's favorite restaurant. Of all the places, it just had to be his favorite restaurant! Ouch." Marui lowered his voice.

Niou nodded, disappointed by the stupid move that their vice-captain made.

"I mean, come on! Nothing could be more obvious than `Mura-buchou's attraction towards Sanada-fukubuchou."

Niou spoke again, "That's where you got it in the opposite of correct. What about seaweed brat and data freak?"

"Oh, yeah. But still, you get what I mean."

"Puri~" The silver-haired boy nodded once and went back to his seat, because he knew that Marui understood what he said, and because he knew that sensei would be back in the classroom exactly 15 seconds.

* * *

**-X-**

**~Time skip to after class~**

Still in Class 3-B...

"Of all the days, sensei just had to assign us clean-up duty today. How annoying." Niou mumbled under his breath.

"Niou." The said person looked over to the bubble gum-blowing boy.

"What?"

"About earlier, did Yanagi or `Mura know that you were listening in their conversation?"

"`Mura didn't, but Yanagi did. He knew I was there the whole time. I think he actually let me listen to their conversation on purpose."

"Oh. Wait, you're not speaking in puzzles anymore." Marui said with a raised brow.

"Glad you noticed," Niou said sarcastically. "That stupid old teacher managed to bore me to death and suck the life out of me. I'm not in the mood anymore."

"I see... Well, I'm finished! I have to go now; I still need to bake a cake with Jackal for tomorrow."

"Yeah. Don't be late!"

"I sure won't! Adieu~" Marui said as he ran outside of the classroom and went merrily on his way.

Niou hummed to himself and whistled, until... "OI, FATTY! YOU GET BACK OVER HERE! THAT'S YAGYUU'S LINE! USE YOUR OWN, DAMMIT!"

Marui just laughed.

* * *

**-X-**

"OI, FATTY! ..."

Yanagi blinked as a laughing familiar red-head raced past him. He shook his head and waited for his best friend to exit the classroom.

"Renji."

"Ah, Genichirou."

Both nodded to each other, and together, they started to home. Yanagi's house is near Sanada's, so it's possible.

After a few minutes of silence, Sanada decided to ask about the missing presence of their friend.

"Where's Seiichi?"

"He already left."

"Hn." Another moment of silence elapsed. Yanagi briefly wondered if his best friend noticed the weird actions of the Kami no Ko.

"Renji, is Seiichi avoiding me?" Looks like he did, and more.

"Apparently so."

"Why?"

"You will have to ask him that yourself."

Yet another thoughtful silence ensued. Sanada thought about what happened yesterday.

"Renji."

"Yes, Genichirou?"

"I..." Sanada took a deep breath, "I think I like Seiichi."

"Oh?" Yanagi hid his surprise. How did Genichirou figure it out without his help? That was what he was supposed to do. It had been nearly impossible for Genichirou to figure it out, the data said so! Unless... _Fuji._

"What should I do?"

"Confess."

"But... it might ruin our friendship," Sanada said, worried that his friendship with Yukimura would be broken. He just couldn't have that. He and Yukimura known each other since they were 4 years old. They've been friends for ten years. Yes, _ten._

Yanagi felt like face-palming himself on the spot. Seriously? That would probably be the last thing that could ever happen.

"Trust me, Genichirou. That would most likely not happen."

Sanada paused to think for a moment, "... I'll do it on his birthday."

"Always ready, aren't we, Genichirou?" The data man teased.

"Next year."

Yanagi suddenly halted in his steps. Did Genichirou just... tell a joke?

Regaining his composure quickly, he said, "I believe that I missed the scene. It must certainly have been quite an astonishing sight."

"The scene... ?" Sanada asked, not being able to follow.

"Of pigs flying."

Sanada snorted.

Yanagi chuckled. "I was just returning the favor. Anyway, that's good. Think of it like this: this year_ is_ next year, which means that you'll have to confess to Seiichi tomorrow."

That got Sanada perplexed for a while. And then... "Have you been spending time with Niou lately?"

"Maybe."

* * *

**A/N: Soooo... how was it? Tell me please! PM or review! Please~! Reviews encourage me to write!**

**Hmm~ I'm not very descriptive yet, but I'm trying very hard to get there!**

**I really, really, REALLY enjoyed writing that part with Niou and Marui. ^^ It was fun to write. I also like the part with Sanada and Yanagi. (The Niou and Marui scenes, and Sanada and Yanagi scenes are just in the friendship genre! No romance.) Ah! And the part with Kirihara and Marui's cake. I got that idea a while ago, when I was writing and a piece of cake was placed in front of me by my cousin. I really tried to ignore it and continue writing, but I gave that up and ate. What could I do? It was chocolate mousse, my favorite! The idea came to me while I was staring at the cake. XD **

**I want to thank _Magic Detective_, my best friend here in FF dot net, for giving me ideas. She gave me a suggestion. I wasn't able to put her suggestion here in the story, but I was able to get ideas out of it. Because of that, I was able to finish this chapter earlier than I expected. Sooo... thank you. :) **

**[By the way, if you still haven't read her "Chatrooms" fic, which I doubt that you haven't, then I suggest that you read it. It's funny.]**

**Oh! And before I forget, please don't expect the next chapter to be posted this week. Maybe next week or the next of next week, because I'll be going on a vacation with my family this week. **


	7. The Perfect Gift

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Prince of Tennis, but I would love to own a Yukimura doll, if there is one.**

**A/N: Happy Birthday, Sanada! Sorry if this is a little late... Please read and review, everyone!**

**[7/14/11] Edited.**

* * *

Friday, March 5 – Yukimura Seiichi's Birthday

"Happy birthday to me," Yukimura whispered quietly to himself as he glanced at the calendar placed on his desk. March 5. It was a day he liked to spend with his friends the most. He made a mental reminder to bring a few bags for the gifts. His fan-girls and fan-boys tended to give him a mountain load of presents on his birthday, much to his chagrin, and to his younger sister's delight.

He wondered for a minute if Yanagi succeeded in "helping" him with Sanada. He better have...

_'I have been holding back for more than two years now. __**Two.**__ If that stubborn guy doesn't understand soon, I am going to jump him. Seriously.' _

Pushing the hormone-induced thoughts aside, he got ready for school and went down stairs to eat some breakfast. He was obviously still sleepy, since he didn't notice the small figure with mop of blue hair hiding behind the wall. Being half-asleep while walking, he didn't sense the lithe person approaching slowly on tiptoes like some kind of a spy until he got tackled down to the floor.

"Ah!" Shocked, he raised himself using his elbows and looked at his attacker. "Mitsuki! What on earth–?"

They were now sprawled on the floor, with his little sister on top of him (don't even try thinking like _that _:/ ). His bag, which fell off when he was tackled, was lying forlornly about 5 feet away from them. His little sister grinned at him.

"Happy birthday, Nii-chan!" She greeted _loudly. _On 6:45 _AM. Directly in his ear. _

… Why does his only sibling have to be a morning person?

Sheesh, his sister can be loud. Really loud. It took his own sense of hearing away for a few seconds. And she probably wasn't even trying to make him deaf. Trying not wince, he chuckled lightly. "Thanks."

"You two having fun over there?" Their mom asked from the kitchen, fixing their breakfast. There are bento boxes on the side. One had a pale blue colour, and the other one had a pale pink colour. "Mitsuki, stop deafening your brother. At least, not on his birthday."

Luckily for Yukimura, the little girl listened to their mother and got off of him. She smiled sweetly at him before going inside the dining room.

Once Yukimura could breathe properly again, he stood up to brush off the dust that got onto his school uniform and picked up his bag, soon following his sister into the room. "Geez, thanks for saving me, Mom." He said, his tone filled with half-sarcasm and half-relief.

"You're welcome, Seiichi," His mother replied, entering the room to give them their food. Yukimura couldn't figure out if she was being serious or sarcastic. Maybe both? "And happy birthday!"

Sitting down next to his sister, he hung his backpack on his chair and ate the breakfast their mom cooked for them. He gently placed the utensils he used on the plate in a parallel fashion.

Before he and Mitsuki walked out the door, their mother asked him a favor. "Seiichi, can you please pick Mitsuki up after school?"

"Alright, Mom."

* * *

**-X-**

Yukimura admired the colorful, freshly watered flowers. They are all so beautiful, yet so decieving. There are several poisonous flowers planted on the rooftop garden, like the belladonna and the Pheasant's eye. He always keep count on those flowers, wary of Niou taking some for a prank one day. You can never trust a trickster with a poisonous plant. Never. Most especially when it's Niou.

Speaking of Niou, both of them go up to the rooftop every school day. Despite that fact, they rarely cross each other paths. The Trickster is always sleeping somewhere secluded. Yukimura is always in the garden, taking care and keeping guard of the plants.

Right now, he is waiting for the close-eyed friend to arrive. Which is in about... now.

"Happy birthday, Seiichi." Yanagi greeted, appearing once again from out of nowhere. It didn't bother the captain anymore. He's sort of used to it. Had he not been who he is, he would have jumped as high as a cat could, and shout louder than his sister could (because the word "scream" sounds girly, which he didn't have to be more of, considering his... almost everything).

"Thanks, Renji."

Nobody spoke after that. They watched the slight breeze ruffle the leaves of the trees. No word was spoken between them while watching. At least, not until Yukimura couldn't bear it anymore.

"... Does he understand yet?" He asked, wishing that his hopeless crush wouldn't be so hopeless anymore. He waited. And waited. But Yanagi won't talk.

"Renji?" Yukimura asked, getting worried of his friend, at the same time wondering if Yanagi's mind had reached its limit from all the data inside. 'Is that even possible?'

"I'm fine, Seiichi. No amount of data will make my mind take its toll. Anyway, not completely, but yes, he understands." Yukimura visibly relaxed at the statement.

"Oh, and Seiichi, you probably owe Fuji a thank you letter. He had helped you more than I had." Before Yukimura had the chance to ask why, Yanagi left the rooftop, leaving the teen to decode the cryptic message he left behind.

* * *

**-X-**

"Yukimura-chan!" She heard a random person call her name.

Mitsuki looked around the room, only a few of her classmates were left. One of them was `Rou-nii's nephew, Sanada Sasuke. He wasn't the one who called her, because he was talking with the class genius, Marui Aoi. Marui-kun is funny. His name was "Aoi", which meant blue, yet his hair color completely contrasted with his name.

Their class vice-president, Yagyuu Seika probably wasn't it, too. She was busy reading a book in a corner, trying to ignore the class trickster, Niou Masaru, who was trying to annoy her for the fun of it. She had been his recent target for a few days now. Mitsuki almost felt bad for her, but she knew that Niou was doing it because he liked the girl.

Finally, she turned around and found her teacher looking at her.

"Yes, sensei?" she asked.

"Your big brother is here to pick you up."

She nodded. Picking up her bag, she left the room and walked to the gates. She heard a great deal of whispers about his brother on her way outside. Coming out of the building, she saw his brother leaning against a wall, his eyes closed and his arms folded. 'Nii-chan is such a show-off sometimes,' she mused. She reached out to poke him.

Poke.

Poke.

Poke, poke, poke.

"Mitsuki, I wasn't asleep." Yukimura said. All the poking was annoying. Mitsuki always poked him whenever she sees him sleeping and it isn't night time yet. She said it made him look like he's dead.

"But your eyes were closed." She complained, as if everytime you close your eyes longer than a normal blink, you're either sleeping or, you're dead.

"I was just resting them." He explained. The little girl watched him a little longer with narrowed eyes, then nodded, accepting his explanation, much to his relief. Otherwise she'd poke him again about ten times more.

They hadn't even walked 10 meters from the school before Mitsuki poked him again.

"Nii-chan, can we please get some ice cream? Pretty please with a cherry on top~?" She asked, using a sugar-coated voice with overflowing sweetness, the cutest pout adorning her face. It was the only one which could get Yukimura a run for his money.

Yukimura sighed softly, fondly gazing at Mitsuki. His sister is so persuasive. Just like himself. It makes him proud to be called her big brother. "Of course."

* * *

**-X-**

Entering his unusually dark home with his sister following behind him, he said "We're home."

Once he said this, the house was suddenly illuminated, and he was greeted by the sight of his team mates and his family, sans his father, staring at him with smiles on their faces. "Surprise! Happy birthday, Seiichi!"

Yukimura blinked owlishly. His eyes wandering around the house, he saw all the colorful decorations, the gifts stacked in a corner, the food and the cake arranged neatly on the table, several balloons, one of which is tied on Akaya's wrist, and a banner hanging on the wall saying, "誕生日おめでとう、精市!" written in calligraphy, no doubt made by Genichirou, Yukimura guessed correctly.

He walked up to them, and they led him to the table, where the cake is. He stood there awkwardly while the others sang "Happy birthday to you". Once they finished, he looked at them one by one. He got a cue from Marui to blow the candles. Figures. He silently made a wish and blew out all the candles with a single blow. It was that, or Mitsuki's slightly opened mouth had something to do with it.

Picking up a knife from the side of the table, he carefully cut the cake into ten equal pieces. He distributed it one by one, starting from his little sister, to his mom, and then Marui, Kirihara, Niou, Yagyuu, Yanagi, Sanada, and himself. Oh, and Jackal, too.

When he finished eating his slice of cake, along with the others, Marui approached him with a curious look on his face.

"Like it?" Marui asked hopefully. "Jackal and I made it."

"It was delightful, thank you." The lithe teen praised lightly.

Then they led him to sit on the couch. He was showered by gifts in an instant. Kirihara quickly asked Yukimura if he could be the first to give him his gift, earning him a discreet glare from the stern vice-captain. The birthday boy said yes, and Kirihara was overjoyed. Sanada started to fume in his place, and chose to hide under his cap for the moment. Yanagi and Niou were the ones who noticed, Yanagi did... nothing to help at all, and Niou just snickered quietly.

The curly-haired second year brought out a badly-wrapped, giant box from the stack of gifts and gave it to Yukimura, which the boy gladly accepted. He gently took off the wrapper and cast it aside. Opening the box, he found 9 tennis balls. They were aligned in a 3x3 arrangement. He smiled. The special thing about these balls is that there were tiny little drawings on it.

The first ball on the upper-left corner was a smiling face with wavy hair and a headband, which he presumed to be himself, drawn with a blue metallic marker. It changed colors from pale blue to dark blue whenever light shone on it. Below the face was his name in perfect Kanji, almost like calligraphy, but not as good as Sanada's calligraphy.

The second ball, placed on the right side of the Yukimura-ball, is a Sanada-ball. It was easy to distinguish because of the cap and the frown. The only ball with a frowning face. Of course. It was drawn with a plain, permanent black marker, and his name was written badly, as if it was rushed. Once Sanada saw the ball, his face transformed into the face on it. He frowned.

The next one was a Yanagi-ball. The face had two small horizontal lines in the place where the eyes were supposed to be. It also had a small smile. Drawn with a brown metallic marker, more like bronze. His name was well-written in neat Kanji characters.

The fourth one, located directly below the Yukimura-ball, was a Niou-ball. Niou's name was scribbled under the face. Its hair was spiky, and the lips were curved into a smirk, rather than a smile. Drawn with a silver metallic marker, it also changed colors whenever there was light. However, it could change into a whole lot of colors like aqua, dandelion, fuchsia, scarlet, turquoise, onyx, and the like. When Niou saw it, he patted Kirihara's head and said, "Not bad, puri."

The fifth ball, in the middle, was not a face. It was the Rikkai logo, drawn with the colors: black, white, and red. On top of the logo were a few Kanji that meant "Always win,"

The sixth ball, which is at the right-most side of the second row, was a Yagyuu-ball. The face was drawn with a violet marker, and a dash of metallic silver for the glasses. The glasses changes colors like Niou's ball. It was wearing a straight mouth, neither smiling nor frowning. Typical Yagyuu. His name was written normally, in Akaya's usual handwriting.

The seventh ball, the first ball on the left in the third bottom row, had a pink face and hair. Marui. His face was had a bright smile and closed, curved eyes, to make it look like he's really happy. The name underneath was finely written.

The eighth ball, under the Rikkai-ball, was the Jackal-ball. A brown, circular smiley face. No hair. His name was even more rushed than Sanada's name. Come on.

And last, but definitely not the least, was the Akaya-ball. He had the biggest smile out of all the balls. He used a permanent red marker for the face, Yukimura observed. It was the most detailed face, too. His name was carefully written below.

After admiring the gift, Yukimura turned to his youngest team mate. "Thank you, Akaya."

"No problem, buchou! I had a little help from Yanagi-senpai for the Kanji," Kirihara added the last part to give some credit. All of them gave knowing glances at Yanagi again.

Niou and Yagyuu stepped closer to the captain, holding a cage with a ribbon tied on top and a guinea pig inside. "Here you go, `Mura-buchou!/Yukimura-kun."

"Thank you." Yukimura looked at the guinea pig carefully. It had brown fur with a large black spot on its back and wore a tiny black cap on its head. He chuckled. _'I'm gonna name him Gen._' Yukimura thought gleefully.

Yanagi went up next, just to see Sanada's amusing reaction of being the last to be able to give his gift: sighing loudly. 'Saving the best for last.' he mused, giving his friend a small, neatly wrapped box.

After giving his thanks, Yukimura unwrapped the present quickly, yet careful not to rip the giftwrapper. He opened the box. It was a brand new pair of shoes (of course Yanagi knows his shoe size), grip tape, and... a small note attached to the back of the box.

_'What's this?'_ he thought, pretending to look at the shoes while reading the hidden note. It said: "He made him realize, not me."

What is that supposed to mean?

This is not the time for puzzles, Yukimura decided, and put the box to his side. At last, Sanada went up to him, bringing... a pot of flowers? He flushed slightly once he saw the flowers. Being a plant lover, he would know what they meant. His eyes shined, but then he realized that Sanada didn't know what they meant. Yukimura, curious as to where the teen got the flowers, asked him.

"A gardening shop in Tokyo. Fuji from Seigaku helped."

Oh.

_Oh._

'_Fuji wants Genichirou and I to get together?'_ he silently asked Yanagi, who nodded once in reply. Sometimes, Yanagi being a mind-reader is a good thing.

For some unknown reason, he felt sad that Sanada wasn't the one who picked the flowers. But at least Fuji got him to understand somehow at that time.

Yukimura looked up at Sanada. "Thank you, Sanada. They're beautiful."

"You're welcome, Yukimura."

* * *

**-X-**

Time flew by quickly as the team hung out in the Yukimura residence. Before they knew it, 6 o' clock had passed. They would never have noticed that it was sunset already, had not the data master told them so. All of them went home one by one, starting with Kirihara, because he had an early curfew, and then Marui, who took Jackal with him, followed, Yagyuu and Niou, and soon enough, when the mood was setting between the two soon-to-be lovers, Yanagi left.

Sanada tugged nervously on his cap. "Yukimura."

Called teen turned his attention to him. "Yes, Sanada?" Yukimura asked curtly.

"Are you angry at me?" Fail. He avoided it. Sanada mentally Tarundoru-slapped himself.

Yukimura put up a confused expression. "Why would I be?"

Sanada frantically raked his mind for an answer. "You've been avoiding me all day, and yesterday too."

"I'm not angry at you." Just a little frustrated, Yukimura added in his head.

He wiped his hand nervously on his pants, his palms getting moistened with sweat. '_It's time. You can do this, Genichirou. You can do this. Renji never lies. If he said that our friendship wouldn't end even if he confessed, then it wouldn't.' _

And then he realized something. Something that made him want to back out at the last minute. Sanada blinked, his mind whirling with doubts. '_He didn't say anything about Seiichi returning my feelings, though.'_

"Genichirou, are you alright? You're hyperventilating." Yukimura pointed out, snapping Sanada out of his thoughts.

"Ah, yes." Sanada breathed in deeply. "I'm alright."

Yukimura looked at him worriedly. "You seem to be troubled. May I ask what's on your mind?"

Umm... "Nothing out of the ordinary."

Yukimura ahh-ed. "So, tennis then?"

"Aa." Well, that wasn't so far from what he's thinking about. Yukimura practically is the embodiment of tennis, after all.

Silence.

"So..." Yukimura started. "Would you like to do something?"

Breathe in. Breathe out. "Yes–ah, no–I mean, wait."

Great. Another fail.

Sanada cleared his throat. "I need to talk to you," he said in a serious voice.

Yukimura prevented the large grin from spreading across his pinkish lips. _'Is Genichirou finally gonna confess? Please, Kami-sama! For my birthday, please~!' _He wished in a silent prayer."Okay, I'm listening."

"Uhh, you see..." Sanada's mind went close to overheating. He had never been so nervous in his life, except for the times that Yukimura had a relapse and when Yukimura was in surgery. _'What are you doing, Genichirou? Stop making a fool of yourself and do it! Tarundoru!'_

Well, here goes nothing. Sanada licked his lips, not knowing what he was doing to Yukimura with the the action, especially when his tanned skin was glistening in sweat, and took off his favorite black cap. "Seiichi," he called out softly to the blue-haired boy.

_'THANK YOU!' _Yukimura silently shouted to the heavens and praised Kami-sama for granting his wish, and also Yanagi for helping him. Sanada was calling him by his _first name. _And he took off his cap. It means he's getting serious.

Sanada took a deep breath. And another one. And then another one. And then... _'Cut the crap, Genichirou. Tell him now!'_

"I like you."

Once those three words came out of his mouth, his entire body froze. He anxiously waited for a reaction from the other teen, sweating even more than before. He readied himself for a possible rejection.

And then Yukimura did it. His mouth went straight, but his eyes smiled for him. A smile that made Sanada melt. "Genichirou..." he whispered softly, grasping Sanada's hands lightly.

Does this mean...?

Yukimura looked at him, making his throat run dry. "I like you, too."

And then their lips met halfway.

* * *

**-X-**

**Owari...**

**ja nai.**

* * *

**-X-**

**Omake:**

_Dear Fuji,_

_It's a lovely day today. There are no dark clouds in sight, perfect for a date! How are you and Tezuka? Genichirou and I are great. He asked me out on a date just a while ago. I'm writing this while waiting for him to pick me up._

_Thank you very much for the gift. It's the perfect gift for me. I really love it. Thank you._

_Pardon me for asking, but how did you know? Was I being that obvious that even people from other school would notice it?_

_Signed, Yukimura._

Fuji grinned happily at the computer screen. He didn't know how Yukimura got his email address, but it probably had something to do with the data master. Anyway, his matchmaking had actually worked! ... Not that he expected it to fail. He's Fuji Syuusuke, the closed-eye genius. Of course it had worked!

Now that it's finished, maybe he should plan a date with Tezuka too... ?

The tensai skimmed the letter again.

Yeah, he really should.

"What's that?" A low voice asked from behind him.

Fuji leaned back against the body that bent over him and looked up. He didn't actually need to look up; he already knew the voice of his beloved by heart. He just wanted to see that handsome face.

He minimized the browser. "Hmm~ it's nothing," he replied in a cheeky tone of voice. Tezuka wrapped his arms around him

"Syuusuke." There was a hidden tone of exasperation that Fuji easily caught.

"What~?" He asked innocently. "All I did was give dear Yukimura-san a gift. The best gift he could ever have."

"Which is?" Tezuka looked at his lover's face.

"A too-stoic-for-his-own-good boyfriend."

Too-stoic-for-his-own-good? Hadn't Fuji called him like that before? "Are you trying to give me away?"

"Of course not!" Fuji exclaimed, _seemingly_ aghast. "You're _my _too-stoic-for-his-own-good boyfriend. I will _never _give you away. I'm referring to Sanada Genichirou."

"Oh." The brunette with glasses grunted. He kissed the honey brown-haired boy on the cheek and backed away.

His attention was immediately called back by the other teen after taking 2 steps.

"Ne, `Mitsu, wanna go on a date with me today?"

* * *

**A/N: Yes... in the end, it was Fuji who gave the perfect gift to Yukimura, and not Sanada. **

**Ahh! I seriously panicked on this one. I bet my cousin thinks I'm weird now. I've been rushing all day, typing on my laptop like a maniac. I hate myself for posting this a day late. It was supposed to start on Yukimura's birthday (a success) and end on Sanada's birthday (fail). Tch. Please leave a review! At least for the last chapter!**

**Umm... I'm also thinking about making a new story for TezuFuji. When I was making that last part (which is my excuse to include Perfect Pair ^^), I thought "How did they get together?" and some stuff like that. Should I?**


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